‘Faster and cheaper’ than BT, Sky and Virgin – two broadband rivals offer unmissable deals

If you want broadband beamed into your home then the easy option is to join trusted brands such as BT, Virgin Media and Sky. These familiar firms all offer nationwide connections and fast speeds with Virgin now supplying over 15 million homes with its Gig1 service and Sky recently launching downloads that can whizz the web to devices at over 500Mbps. BT also has its quick 900Mbps connection which is available in certain streets across the UK.

That all sounds impressive but before you sign on the dotted line it’s definitely worth checking to see if any smaller Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are offering broadband on your street.

These independent ISPs are continuing to take the fight to their bigger rivals with one firm now boasting that it’s both faster and cheaper than BT, Sky and Virgin Media.

Community Fibre supplies broadband across large parts of London with the firm currently offering internet access for just £20 per month. That price is for its 75Mbps service and it certainly beats the likes of BT and Sky for value.

For example, BT wants £27.99 per month for slower 35Mbps speeds and Sky has its 35Mbps speeds priced at £25 per month. Along with that entry-level package, Community Fibre also has faster access at a discounted rate with 300Mbps currently costing £25 per month and 600Mbps now just £35 per month.

If you want the ultimate broadband then there’s also blisteringly quick 3Gbps downloads for £89 per month. At that rapid rate, it would take just 10 seconds to download a full HD blockbuster. That’s 40 times faster than the current UK average. Community Fibre also gets bragging rights on speed as no other main ISP can offer anything close to 3Gbps.

All of these deals last for 24 months and there’s no set-up fee to pay.

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE COMMUNITY FIBRE DEALS HERE

Another firm trying to shake up the market is Hyperoptic. The company, which supplies broadband to millions of homes across parts of the UK currently has a flash sale taking place until the end of the month.

Deals from Hyperoptic include is entry-level 50Mbps speeds for just £15 per month – that’s one of the lowest prices on the market.

There’s also 150Mbps for £25 or 500Mbps for £30 per month. Those wanting even quicker speeds might want to try the firm’s Hyperfast 1Gbps option with this package able to send a full HD movie to TVs in around 40 seconds. Hyperoptic Hyperfast service is usually £60 but the Flash Sale has dropped that to a more affordable £35.

Hyperoptic’s more expensive broadband has no installation fee and the deals last for a full two years.

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE HYPEROPTIC DEALS HERE

WHAT SPEEDS DO YOU REALLY NEED?

Not sure what speeds are best for you? Here’s a quick guide to what your home needs.

We’re all using our broadband more and more but not everyone needs blisteringly quick speeds. If you simply browse the web, send a few emails and watch the odd box set on Netflix then a standard 50Mbps connection should cope just fine.

However, if you have a busy home then you will definitely want something faster and it’s not just about quicker downloads.

Your broadband is a bit like a motorway – the more traffic that runs through it the slower it gets. So, if you have a busy house it’s best to get the fastest speeds you can afford to avoid annoying buffering.

Here’s how long it takes to download a full HD movie with different speeds on offer from the UK’s ISPs.

SPEED 50Mbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 11 minutes

SPEED 100Mbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 6 minutes

SPEED 200Mbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 3 minutes

SPEED 350Mbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 2 minutes

SPEED 500Mbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 1 minute 20 seconds

SPEED 1Gbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 40 seconds

SPEED 3Gbps – DOWNLOAD TIME = 11 seconds